Thursday, March 18, 2010

Comments:Not much to say, especially since this is my second time around with the pattern. Because the violet in one skein was brighter than the other 2, I alternated the skeins. Pardon the back shot, but the color is truer in this pic. I have Monkey1 trained well as she made sure to ask if I wanted my head cut off or not before taking the pics.

Love the colorway and since it's a favorite pattern already, it'll probably get as much wear as my first.

The yarn was a x-mas gift from tapmouse a couple Christmases ago and I had been ruminating what to knit with it since. Due to the shorter yardage, I stuck to a cowl pattern.

I had actually knit this completely the first time around exactly as written on size 9 needles. I decided that the thicker parts of the yarn were a little too stiff and wanted a slightly looser cowl. With 17 g leftover the first time, I took a chance that I would have enough if I cast on one more repeat on larger needles. So off I frogged & re-knit. Since it took me one day while home with a sick Monkey or 2, the frogging was totally worth it.

In honor of Monkey2's birthday over the weekend, I made her a dress in fabric and ribbon she picked out. Because she was sick the entire weekend (and then some), it took dinner and a dose of kids tylenol before she was in a good enough mood to model it for me. That pic is on Facebook, but here the dress itself (and the little matching bag) will do.

As much as I love this cute reverse-engineered pattern, I think knitting this 3 times is more than enough. But then, the only reason I knit this is again is that my sister requested a pair of mitts that would allow easier access for her fingers when iPhone-ing away on her mass transit to work. What I do for family.

Monkey1 picked this colorway out during one of our visits to Purlescence. I originally started knitting this in my normal continental fashion, but was inspired by Irishgirlieknits & Cupcakefaerie to practice my lever (aka Irish cottage style) knitting. So aside from the cuff and half the toe (I got really impatient by then), most of this pair was done lever-style. I think I've got the hang of it, at least on dpns, especially since I've reverted to my norm of tightening my gauge on the second sock. Whether or not I'll switch to this style entirely will most likely depend on my mood & gauge I need.

So. In a recent training class at work, the lecturers talked about how there are 3 parts in our skills process - the comfort zone, the learning zone, and the panic zone. While not in my comfort zone, I am at least out of my panic zone and firmly in the learning zone when it comes to my newbie spinning.

I love the Kundert spindle I got from A Verb's booth at Stitches West. While no where near consistently competent, at least I'm no longer afraid to practice w/dyed fiber as opposed to the white BFL I started with. It probably helps that the dyed BFL mix I bought is in my color comfort zone too.

I will also say that a large part of getting out of my panic zone has been all the encouragement I've been getting from my crafty buddies, especially Tapmouse, my awesome teacher WonderMike (always willing to give suggestions on spindles and fiber) and the fabulous Verb ladies, Kristine and Adrienne.